Which eyesores? The glaring ones in our hallway, of course. After spending the time to install board and batten, we didn’t want a bland light fixture, a dingy ceiling vent, or a gaudy doorbell distracting from the finished look. Here’s an overdue recap of the small but impactful updates you might have noticed in last week’s board and batten reveal, while we slowly add crown molding to the playroom, guest room, and this very hallway.
Updating the light fixture, the doorbell, and the ceiling vent may sound minor, but each was stealing attention from the new trim. Those little swaps are worth doing alongside the big projects—details really do make a difference. After these changes, the hallway finally feels like it suits the fancy board and batten below.
Let’s start with the light fixture. It had been transplanted from our laundry room because the original hallway fixture was too busy for our taste. The laundry room light wasn’t exactly exciting, but it worked for over a year and we try to reuse what we have while waiting for something that fits our style.
At first we considered refreshing the fixture with spray paint or painting a stripe on the glass. Then we spotted a deeply discounted fixture at a local lighting outlet that reminded us of the industrial, outdoor-style lights we used in the guest and hall bathrooms. At $18 (marked down from $99), it was hard to pass up.
So we shut off the power and swapped in the new fixture.
The new light looks clean and simple—excuse the incandescent bulb; it was the only one on hand at the time.
With the light handled, attention turned to the doorbell, which looked like it belonged on an old TV show set. Every time it rang, I half expected a milkman to show up on the porch. Our previous house didn’t have a doorbell, so installing a wired one presented a new challenge: we weren’t familiar with wired doorbells.
We went shopping for a wired option that would be subtle and simple. It turned into one of Clara’s favorite DIY excursions—even if fellow shoppers didn’t enjoy listening to us test every chime.
We came home with a $20 wired model that was pleasantly unobtrusive.
With the power off, I removed the old cover expecting a complicated mess, but the old, dusty fixture had the same simple connections as the new one. That made the swap straightforward: follow the rule “redo what you undo.” If the red wire was attached to a particular terminal on the old bell, I attached it to the same spot on the new bell.
I disconnected the old wires, unscrewed the plate from the wall, and installed the new doorbell. The back of the removed plate was unattractive, but manageable.
The new doorbell has a slightly smaller footprint, which left a small hole visible for a few days. Since we planned to paint as part of the board and batten project, that wasn’t a problem.
Once the wires were reattached the way they were on the old unit, I added the cover and appreciated how such a small change instantly refreshed the space. It’s one of those easy updates that makes the whole house feel more current. And yes, it still works—along with our backup “doorbell” who alerts us every time the real one rings: Burger.
Of course, finishing one project often makes a nearby detail look worse by comparison—like the yellowed grate covering the whole-house fan vent. It was time-consuming and grimy-looking, so my paint-happy partner climbed a step ladder and painted it with ceiling paint left by the previous owners. She used a brush and applied several thin coats so the fan could still open and function properly.
Much better.
As an aside, in our current home we went fully wireless because that house didn’t have a doorbell initially. We installed a Ring video doorbell instead—it was easy and only took a few simple steps.
Do you ever tackle upgrades in a domino effect? One small update often highlights other areas that need attention, and before you know it you’re knocking out several quick fixes in a row. Those incremental improvements really add up and make a noticeable difference.